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Posted: |
Jan 6, 2015 - 6:53 AM
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By: |
Jim Phelps
(Member)
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As a 1980s-era comic-book-reading teenager, it would not have been imaginable: actual living girls in my local comic shop (LCS) and interested in comic books!!! When I was a kid, the only women one would see in a comic store were the mothers of the boys who begged them to drive them there. In recent years, however, there are just as many women shopping for comics and comic-related items as there are men. When did this all begin?
There is also the "Cosplay" phenomenon, where super-gorgeous women dress as their (or our) favorite heroes or villains. Even if my LCS happened to have female customers, they most certainly didn't look like this girl:
or this bonnie lass:
Is it merely a case of exhibitionists knowing that the nerdy, comic-loving audience will worship their beauty? Is it because these women are making money from this mode of dress up? Or is it just that there was a stigma against women liking comic books? Once again...when did this all begin? I'm not complaining, mind you. In fact, I'm thrilled beyond belief! However, the girls-interested-in-comics thing seemingly came out of nowhere in that thousands upon thousands of gorgeous women would descend upon nerdom's most cherished inner sanctum sanctorum.
I would be interested in everyone's thoughts on this most delightful subject, and you may include numerous photos to further "illustrate" your point.
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Posted: |
Jan 6, 2015 - 7:14 AM
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By: |
mstrox
(Member)
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I would lean heavily on stigma being the main cause. Women have always liked comics, sci-fi, anime, etc - just maybe not in as great numbers as now. I think cosplay (not just of the fleshy variety you mentioned above) is great - these cosplayers are women who not only have a knowledge and love for "nerdy" subject matter, but they're showing it in a fun and visible way. The more visibility, the more likely it is that somebody who is a "closeted" fan will feel more safe to open up about it, or the more likely it is that a woman will see other women enjoying this stuff and pick up a comic.
All of this stuff is still considered by the people who market it, and by society at large, as "boy stuff." Merchandise will frequently omit female characters (recently, a lot of tie-in merch was leaving Black Widow out of Avengers/Captain America stuff, and leaving Gamora out of GotG stuff, and leaving Princess Leia and the female stars of Star Wars Rebels out of that merchandising). The stigma still exists, and in a lot of ways it is perpetuated by the people who actually lose money by ignoring woman fans.
I think it can't hurt that comics have, in the past 25 years since "Batman" but also the last 7 years since "Iron Man," become more mainstream, acceptable, and "serious" in movie theaters - some of the general audience, both male and female, certainly trickled down to the comics.
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Posted: |
Jan 6, 2015 - 7:52 AM
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By: |
Joe E.
(Member)
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What mstrox said. There always have been girls and women who are into comics, sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, etc., but there have also long been stigmas, stereotypes, etc., and these have contributed to diminishing the perception of women in those social spaces - partly by actually keeping women out (in that many girls / women who'd otherwise be heavily into those things often feel pressure not to, because they don't fit with social expectations of what women are supposed to like), but also by preventing people from acknowledging it when women really are into them, hence the so-called "fake geek girl" meme and so on.
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Posted: |
Jan 6, 2015 - 8:43 AM
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By: |
Jim Phelps
(Member)
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What mstrox said. There always have been girls and women who are into comics, sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, etc., but there have also long been stigmas, stereotypes, etc., and these have contributed to diminishing the perception of women in those social spaces - partly by actually keeping women out (in that many girls / women who'd otherwise be heavily into those things often feel pressure not to, because they don't fit with social expectations of what women are supposed to like), but also by preventing people from acknowledging it when women really are into them, hence the so-called "fake geek girl" meme and so on.
I've always seen comic book fans and those stores as being on the outside of the mainstream. I don't think women would be less bold or intimidated into going to a comic shop if that was where the stuff they liked was; all the more so if they feel socially outcast.
I know from personal experience that when I took a girlfriend to a comic shop, she would be looked at with awe and treated like a goddess. lol The awkward, nebbish employees would quickly get a chair for her to sit in and proceed to regale her with his encyclopedic knowledge of comics, cartoons, sci-fi/fantasy films and other subjects of import while I amusedly searched the dusty back issue bins for neglected comic jewels of my juventud.
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Posted: |
Jan 6, 2015 - 8:55 AM
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By: |
Joe E.
(Member)
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There are professional cosplayers now (little idea how that works), both male and female, but the majority of cosplayers are just regular fans (and even the pros start out that way, I do know that). Also, while the term "cosplay" itself is relatively new, the behavior isn't - fans have been costuming as characters for conventions for several decades, at least since the earliest Star Trek conventions in the '70s, if not earlier.
I personally have numerous geeky friends, both male and female, who've been going to conventions since the '80s and '90s, and most recent years most of them have had costumes. A large group of my friends has been going to Dragon*Con every year since sometime in the '90s - some of them more years than others; some (like myself) only sporadically (I've only been able to go in 1998, 2011 and this year, though now that my fiancée and I recently moved from Tallahassee to the Atlanta area I hope to never miss another), while others in my group of friends have managed to go pretty much annually for nearly two decades now, and costumes are always a huge factor, as well as a huge draw. Honestly, as fantastic as it is to meet some of our entertainment idols, participate in events, etc., the thing I enjoy most is just seeing other fans dressed up in costume. And at least at the cons I've attended, women are just as present and just as into it as men.
People who buy into the silly ideas about girls not being into geek stuff are woefully misinformed and out of date at best.
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Posted: |
Jan 6, 2015 - 9:21 AM
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By: |
Joe E.
(Member)
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I know from personal experience that when I took a girlfriend to a comic shop, she would be looked at with awe and treated like a goddess. lol The awkward, nebbish employees would quickly get a chair for her to sit in and proceed to regale her with his encyclopedic knowledge of comics, cartoons, sci-fi/fantasy films and other subjects of import
And that very kind of thing is one of the reasons why so many women have traditionally felt pushed away from this set of passions, I think.
Now in seeing photos from the big events held by my LCS (Tate's Comics in Lauderhill, Fl), there are numerous females buying up Manga and Japanime items, as well as the usual Spider-Man and the rest of the best-known super-hero ilk. It's a great thing and a damn shame that the girls of my generation (kids in the mid '70s-to-mid '80s) weren't more visible in their enjoyment of all that wonderful geeky stuff. It's a different world now, and at least in this case, it's for the better. 
Definitely.
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